Latest news with #AravalliGreenWall
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
‘To boost clean urban mobility': PM Modi flags off 200 e-buses on World Environment Day
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occasion of World Environment Day on Thursday, flagged off 200 electric buses in Delhi to promote green and clean urban transport, said officials. After inaugurating the bus, the PM stated that the initiative will contribute to building a clean and green Delhi. He further underlined that this step will also improve the 'Ease of Living' for the people of Delhi, according to an official statement from the PM's office. In a post on X, the PM said, 'Building a clean and green Delhi! Flagged off electric buses under an initiative of the Delhi government aimed at boosting sustainable development and clean urban mobility. Additionally, this will also improve 'Ease of Living' for the people of Delhi.' The event was also attended by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena, and Union Minister of Environment Bhupender Yadav. 'PM plants a sapling under the 'Ek ped Ma ke Naam' initiative as part of the Aravalli Green Wall project, which aims to reforest the 700-km Aravalli range, at Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park, New Delhi. PM Modi also flagged off 200 electric buses under the Delhi government's sustainable transport initiative, promoting clean urban mobility and symbolising India's collective responsibility towards sustainable development,' Yadav posted on X. Thanking the PM, the Delhi CM said, 'Your encouragement for Delhi's efforts in promoting electric mobility strengthens our resolve to build a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable capital. Under your guidance, we remain committed to creating a future-ready Delhi that reflects the spirit of Viksit Bharat-where progress and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.' At present, there are 3,266 buses under DTC. Of these, 1,895 are electric buses and 1,371 are CNG buses. With the addition of 200 buses, the electric fleet increases to 2,095 buses. By the end of 2025, the CM added, 2,080 buses will be provided to Delhi, and by 2027, the Delhi government's public transport fleet will be fully electric. She also mentioned that a new EV policy will be implemented soon by the Delhi government.
NDTV
21 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
PM Modi Launches Aravalli Green Wall Project On World Environment Day
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi planted a sapling at the Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park here on World Environment Day on Thursday, extending the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign and launching a special initiative to reforest the 700-km Aravalli mountain range that stretches from Delhi to Gujarat. In a post on X, the prime minister said the Aravalli range is one of the oldest on the planet, covering Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi, and that the last several years have brought to the fore several environmental challenges relating to the range, which his government is committed to mitigating. "Our focus is to rejuvenate areas linked with this range. We are going to work with the respective local administrations and emphasise things such as improving water systems, curbing dust storms, stopping eastward expansion of the Thar desert and more," he said. Today, on #WorldEnvironmentDay, we strengthened the #EkPedMaaKeNaam initiative with a special tree plantation drive. I planted a sapling at the Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park in Delhi. This is also a part of our effort to reforest the Aravalli range - the Aravalli Green Wall… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 5, 2025 "In the Aravalli range and beyond, in addition to the traditional planting methods, we will encourage new techniques, especially in urban and semi-urban areas where there are space constraints. Plantation activities will be geo-tagged and monitored on the Meri LiFE portal," he said. The prime minister called upon the youth to take part in the movement and contribute to increasing the planet's green cover. He also flagged off electric buses under the Delhi government's sustainable transport initiative. "This will also improve 'Ease of Living' for the people of Delhi," the prime minister said. The Aravalli Green Wall Project is a major initiative to expand green cover in the five-km buffer area around the Aravallis in 29 districts of the three states and a Union territory. The government said this initiative will play a crucial role in combating air pollution in the region, achieving India's climate goal of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent and restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. The project will enhance the biodiversity of the Aravallis through afforestation, reforestation and restoration of water bodies. It will also help improve soil fertility and water availability in the region, the government said. It added that the project will benefit local communities by generating employment and income opportunities. The chief ministers of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat also participated in the launch of the project. Officials from the environment ministry said around 1,000 nurseries will be developed in the 29 districts located in the Aravalli range as part of the initiative. The five-km wide green buffer will cover 6.45 million hectares across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. Within this buffer zone, about 42 per cent (2.7 million hectares) of land is currently degraded. The Aravalli range acts as a natural barrier against desertification, preventing the expansion of the Thar desert and protecting cities such as Delhi, Jaipur and Gurugram. It is also the source of important rivers such as the Chambal, Sabarmati and Luni. Its forests, grasslands and wetlands support endangered plant and animal species. However, deforestation, mining, livestock grazing, and human encroachment are worsening desertification, damaging aquifers, drying up lakes and reducing the range's ability to sustain wildlife. Of the total degraded area, 81 per cent is in Rajasthan, 15.8 per cent in Gujarat, 1.7 per cent in Haryana and 1.6 per cent in Delhi.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
PM Narendra Modi launches Aravalli Green Wall Project
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday planted a banyan sapling at the Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park in Delhi, symbolically launching the Aravalli Green Wall projects. On World Environment Day, which is celebrated today, PM Modi also highlighted the importance of reforesting the Aravalli range under the Aravalli Green Wall project. 'In the Aravalli range and beyond, in addition to the traditional planting methods, we will encourage new techniques especially in urban and semi-urban areas where there are space constraints. Plantation activities will be geo-tagged and monitored on the Meri LiFE portal', PM Modi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He highlighted that the region faces multiple environmental challenges which the government is committed to addressing. 'It is widely known that the Aravalli range is one of the oldest on our planet, covering Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. The past several years have brought to the fore several environmental challenges relating to this range, which our government is committed to mitigating. Our focus is to rejuvenate areas linked with this range. We are going to work with the respective local administrations and going to emphasise things such as improving water systems, curbing dust storms, stopping eastward expansion of the Thar desert and more,' PM Modi wrote. 'Today, on #WorldEnvironmentDay, we strengthened the #EkPedMaaKeNaam initiative with a special tree plantation drive. I planted a sapling at the Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park in Delhi. This is also part of our effort to reforest the Aravalli range - the Aravalli Green Wall project,' he said. Also Read: Govt to soon launch Green Wall project to save exploited Aravallis HT reported on June 4 that the Aravalli Green Wall project will look at large-scale landscape restoration across 4 states by removal of prospis juliflora (a kind of mesquite) and planting of native species, especially in reserved forest areas under the forest departments. Trees such as the khair (Indian gum arabic), ronjh (White-barked Acacia); dhau (axlewood), pilkhan (white fig), salai (Indian frankincense), among others, are native to the belt. Aravallis are likely the country's oldest mountain range, spanning 670 km, and runs in a southwesterly direction from Delhi to Gujarat. It boasts 22 wildlife sanctuaries including four tiger reserves (Ranthambore is one) and bird parks. It is the source of important rivers including the Chambal. And it hosts the only primary forest in the National Capital Region, with tools from the lower Palaeolithic period (3.3 million years to 300,000 years ago) and cave art being found in the hills around the forest.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Aravalli Green Wall project: Haryana set to kick off efforts to revive 25,000 hectares of degraded forest areas
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the Centre's Aravalli Green Wall project on Thursday, the state government in Haryana will kick off efforts to restore 25,000 hectares of degraded forest area. The Aravalli Range has long been hailed as the 'lungs' of the National Capital Region (NCR). On Thursday, the Prime Minister 'will lead a special tree plantation initiative at Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park in Delhi at 10:15 am, reaffirming India's commitment to environmental stewardship and green mobility' to mark World Environment Day, according to a statement from the PMO. 'The PM will plant a Banyan sapling under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam initiative. This will be part of the 'Aravalli Green Wall project' which aims to reforest the 700-km Aravalli range,' read the statement. In Haryana, a total of 24,990.16 hectares of Recorded First Area (RFA) land will be targeted for treatment in the first phase of the project. While 3,852.73 hectares of land will be targeted in Faridabad, a total of 6,063.73 hectares of land will be targeted in Gurgaon. Gurgaon Divisional Forest Officer Raj Kumar told The Indian Express that intensive restorative plantation efforts in the district will begin soon. 'With Thursday's launch, the project in Haryana will also be kicked off. Proper plantation towards intensively restoring the degraded forest areas is most conducive during the monsoons, which is when our efforts will truly begin on priority,' he asserted. The Aravalli range encompasses five other districts in Haryana: Nuh, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Mahendergarh, and Charkhi Dadri. The Aravalli range and buffer zones account for 3.11 lakh hectares (38.7%) of the total geographical area of these districts (8.05 lakh hectares). Nuh has the largest area under RFA with 14,606 hectares. Meanwhile, Charkhi Dadri is not being covered in the current phase due to a negligible recorded forest area (28 hectares), said officials. 'Site conditions in Haryana vary significantly, with patches having hilly terrain with high degradation and sparse vegetation requiring both SMC [soil and moisture conservation] work and plantations. For the treatment area, the state has proposed a restoration model for the rehabilitation of degraded areas, beginning with soil and moisture conservation efforts in the first year. Restoration will involve plantation, soil moisture conservation, check dams, percolation ponds, and seed sowing,' reads the government document titled 'Detailed Action Plan – Aravalli Landscape Restoration'. The Indian Express on Wednesday reported that Delhi CM Rekha Gupta will join the PM for planting a tree in the Capital's Ridge area as part of the launch. The Rs 16,053-crore project aims to create a buffer zone of 5 km around the mountain range, covering 6.45 million hectares. It is slated to help in meeting India's key climate goals of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through improving tree and forest cover. Extending from Southwest Gujarat in Champaner to Northeast Delhi and Haryana, the Aravalli range acts as a natural barrier against incursion of sand, loo, and dust from the Thar desert.
United News of India
2 days ago
- Health
- United News of India
PM to launch mega ‘Aravalli Green Wall project' on June 5
New Delhi, June 4 (UNI) India will kick start its ambitious Aravalli Green Wall Project on World Environment Day on June 5 in a bid to give a new lease of life to one of the oldest mountains of the world ie Aravalli range which is facing rapid degradation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the project by planting a Banyan sapling under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign at Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park in the national capital, a step to prevent desertification and land degradation caused by global warming. On the occasion, the Prime Minister will also flag off 200 electric buses under Delhi Government's sustainable transport initiative, promoting clean urban mobility and symbolizing the nation's collective responsibility towards ecological balance, said a statement here. Aiming to create a 400 km long and 5 km wide green corridor covering states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi, India had introduced the Aravalli Green Wall project at the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh in 2019. The Union Environment Ministry had released the project's action plan in March. The project envisages boostING biodiversity of the Aravalli Hill Region and is a major initiative to spread green cover in the 5 km buffer area around the Range in 29 districts of the four states, according to the statement. Besides, reforestation and afforestation and rejuvenation of water bodies, the project aims to improve the soil fertility, water availability and climate resilience of the region. The project will also benefit the local communities by providing them with employment and income generation opportunities. In the initial phase, 75 water bodies will be rejuvenated, starting with five waterbodies each in every district of Aravalli landscape, said an official from the Ministry. The plan is inspired by Africa's 'Great Green Wall' project, running from Senegal (West) to Djibouti (East), which came into effect in 2007. Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign encourages people to plant a tree as a symbol of love, respect, and honour for their mothers, while also pledging to protect trees and the Earth. UNI AJ SSP
